by Bonny Flesher
Dawn Reitz is the owner and founder of The Quilt Lady located in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Dawn has been a crafter for many years. While working her day job at Pioneer Telephone she signed up to teach painting classes in the evenings at the Vo-Tech. A few days before classes were to start Dawn’s mother brought her a quilt block from a class she had taken. That was in 1987 and that one quilt block became a passion. Dawn called asking to teach quilting instead of painting knowing she would be learning right along with her students. Over the years Dawn has quilted many memory quilts using clothing and T-shirts. I have seen a few given as graduation gifts and more. I have always admired the work she’s done. Dawn retired from Pioneer in 2008 only to have more time to feed her quilting passion. The sky was the limit, eventually opening The Quilt Lady on Main Street in Kingfisher. After being at that address for about 4 years Dawn realized the shop and her vision had outgrown that location. She then moved her shop to its current location 223 N. 6th Street in Kingfisher. It provided a larger space for the shop’s quilt classes, embroidery projects, alterations, and more. Bill Reitz is Dawn’s husband. The guy behind the scenes oversaw the renovation and helped keep the old building that began as a lumber yard in the 40s to what it is today! The day I visited, Dawn was teaching a private quilting class with her student piecing together, a quilt for a grandson. Thru By Ann, The Quilt Lady has been voted the best quilt shop in Oklahoma for 2 years running. One of Dawn’s favorite events is her quilter’s retreat. She said it’s a chance to really get to know her customers. If you go into the shop and visit there are all kinds of materials and patterns. My color wheel was in overdrive while taking it all in. Dawn found her passion many years ago. With hard work, she has nurtured it into a business.
